KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation's (MDC) Northeast Regional Office is having a special five-year building anniversary celebration from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 9, with family friendly activities devoted to nature and the outdoors. All events are free.

Activities will include fishing, archery and indoor activities. Visitors can also participate in geocaching along the outdoor walking trail or make wildflower seed balls. Plus Wild Heart, the Emmy-award-winning conservation educators and entertainers Jan and George Syrigos, will provide entertainment for kids of all ages.

“We are a full-service facility,” said MDC Conservation Education Coordinator Karen Armstrong. “Not only are there administrative offices for MDC staff here, but we have a wonderful interpretative center open to the public year round with many activities and exhibits about Missouri and the forest, fish and wildlife in our state.”

The Northeast Regional Office is located just south of Kirksville on Highway 63. Inside, visitors will find a bird watching station, which includes binoculars and guides, a 1,300 gallon aquarium with local species of fish, an observation bee hive, mammal displays, rotating exhibits, a small theater for watching clips from Missouri Outdoors programs and live reptiles and amphibians. Visitors can get information or purchase fishing and hunting permits at the service counter, or purchase books and guides at the Nature Shop.

Outside, the 26 acres of grounds include a mulched walking trail and a fishing pond. The half-mile trail is open 24 hours a day year-round and provides a self-guided tour through various Missouri ecosystems. Anglers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to enjoy the pond stocked with channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill and hybrid sunfish.

The Energy Star award-winning building is also a great place to learn about building techniques, materials and systems that conserve natural resources and wildlife habitat. Some of the building’s environmentally friendly features include many recycled materials, such as carpet that is made from 100% recycled plastic. Other features include skylights that let in natural lighting, ground-source heat pumps that provide both heating and cooling, and exposed beams made of Parallel Strand Lumber, which uses 90-percent of harvested trees.

The MDC Northeast Regional Office celebration comes as MDC celebrates its 75th anniversary of making Missouri a great place to fish, hunt and enjoy nature. Missourians care about the outdoors and approved in 1976 a one-eighth-of-one-cent sales tax for conservation, which helps make projects such as the Northeast Regional Office possible.

More information about the Northeast Regional Office is available at www.mdc.mo.gov, or call 660-785-2420.

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MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources. We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature. Read more about our mission.